The homes of 27,000 Palestinian refugees will be replaced as part of this reconstruction project underway at Nahr el-Bared, 16 kilometres outside of Tripoli, Lebanon (+ slideshow).

First established in the 1940s to accommodate refugees from the Lake Huleh area of northern Palestine, the 19-hectare Nahr el-Bared refugee camp was almost entirely destroyed during the 2007 conflict between the Lebanese Armed Forces and the extremist group Fatah Al-Islam. Thousands of families were forced to abandon their homes and seek temporary refuge at another nearby camp.

In 2008 the United Nations Relief & Works Agency embarked on an ambitious project to replace the buildings that had been destroyed. Working alongside the community-based Nahr el-Bared Reconstruction Commission, the team developed an eight-phase masterplan for 5000 houses, 1500 shops and six school complexes.

The reconstruction includes the replacement of all infrastructure for the camp, including water and sewage networks as well as electricity.

The agency has also been able to increase the amount of public space around the buildings from 11 to 35 per cent by introducing a system of independent structures that can be extended up to four storeys.

Nahr el-Bared before reconstruction

The first families began returning to their homes in 2011 and the first three completed schools opened to students later the same year.

Here's a short project description from the Aga Khan Award organisers:

Reconstructing a camp of 27,000 refugees which was 95% destroyed during the 2007 war involved a planning effort with the entire community, followed by a series of eight construction phases. Limited land and the exigency of recreating physical and social fabrics were primary considerations. Established in 1948, the camp followed the extended-family pattern and building typology of the refugees' villages. In a layout where roads provided light and ventilation, the goal was to increase non-built areas from 11% to 35%. It was achieved by giving each building an independent structural system allowing for vertical expansion up to four floors on a reduced footprint.

Awesome project. Architecture in capital letters. It is not only objectively a necessary project but it has been handled with respect of local culture. Happy to see that they did not replace the wriggling street fabric with huge monoliths issued from the ’60s. The water deposits are also beautiful in my opinion.

John

Great to see Dezeen covering this!

http://twitter.com/jmvanlith @jmvanlith

Can a refugee camp look beautiful? Yes.

Anisul Choudhury

I think it is an amazing project and I’m grateful to the agency for carrying out such a mammoth task to rebuild this refugee camp for 27000 Palestinians. A massive stepping stone to remove refugee camps from our vocabulary, as beautiful as this one is, it should be a city in its own right.

Bruce

Tripoli is in Libya, not Lebanon.

dezeen_intense

Hi Bruce,

Tripoli is indeed in Libya – but it's also the name of a large city in northern Lebanon.

Thanks,

Emilie/Dezeen

Sarah Saleh

Thank you Dezeen for covering this.

Colonel Pancake

War sucks.

marghe

Good to find this on Dezeen! Please cover such projects more often! Thanks :)

http://menadesignresearch.org Doreen

It is great to see that Dezeen is reporting on socially conscious design and architecture in the Arab world!

IVG

Finally

Brahim El Mouaatamid

Indeed this is a great concrete project. I am sure they feel relieved now.